Summer 2022 Youth Internship Pilot Program Findings and Future; Hurbanis
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: Emma Hurbanis, Youth Workforce Development Intern
Date: October 11, 2022
Subject: Summer 2022 Youth Internship Pilot Program Findings and Future
_____________________________________________________________________
PURPOSE
During the summer of 2022, Hopkins launched a pilot version of a youth workforce
development program using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding provided by the
City Council and a grant from Hennepin County. This program, intended to minimize
youth’s barriers to employment and combat City and community hiring difficulties,
offered an 8-week paid summer internship to youth ages 14-24 with barriers to
employment. This report and presentation are in response to a request from the City
Council to more deeply understand the need for the program, program administration,
and future recommendations.
Program Overview + Need
Hennepin County has identified Hopkins as a focus area for youth opportunity; this is a
measure based on statistics regarding youth unemployment, poverty levels, and youth
population density by census tract. Having a higher need for youth opportunity means
there is a need for programs to not only engage youth in Hopkins but give them the
skills to positively shape their future outcomes. The Minnesota Department of
Employment and Economic Development (DEED) found “The number one predictor of
future successes in the workforce is early exposure to work experience.” Early work
experience, especially in workforce preparedness programs, can lead to higher future
wages and better academic performance. Additionally, data from The Opportunity Atlas
shows that low-income and Black low-income youth in Hopkins have lower future
incomes than their higher income or white peers. This research, interest, and input from
HREI, and proven success from similar models in the Twin Cities metropolitan area led
Hopkins to launch a pilot version of a youth internship program in the summer of 2022.
To qualify for the program, applicants had to live or go to school in Hopkins, be ages 14-
24, and face one or more barrier to employment (ex. qualify for free or reduced lunch,
be a member of a historically marginalized group). The City received almost 70
applications and hired 5 interns based on administrative and budgetary constraints. The
program was funded through a Hennepin County grant and ARPA funds.
Three days a week, youth interns worked in their designated department (Fire
Department, Police Department, Public Works, Hopkins Center for the Arts, and The
Administration
Depot Coffeehouse). Interns supported the work of their supervisors and worked on
projects of their own in areas including community outreach, event planning,
advertising, and other operational tasks. Throughout the summer, interns made
professional connections with their supervisors and other City employees, attended
weekly professional development sessions, and learned career readiness skills through
the work in their department.
Reflections and Suggestions
This program had an immediate impact on interns; this was not just a summer job, but
an opportunity to learn career readiness skills and facilitated strong connections with
peers and mentors. For City of Hopkins employees, it was a valuable experience
mentoring and supervising youth in the community. From the number of applications,
we know Hopkins youth are and will be interested in these positions.
Following the conclusion of the pilot program and research on youth workforce
development best practices, five suggestions are presented:
1. Continue the program, tailoring it more to the needs of Hopkins students and
hiring challenges.
2. Address City-wide hiring challenges by partnering with local businesses and
providing support for employers to host interns.
3. Strengthen partnerships and broaden this work to extend the impact on youth.
4. Establish and strengthen existing career pipelines for students interested in jobs
within the City.
5. Monitor recruitment efforts and track data to analyze program growth and
performance as well as intern outcomes.
Intern Retention
Evolution of the program model will aim to recruit interns into permanent positions within
the City once they have completed the required education or training. By supporting
past interns who have experience working in Hopkins into careers with the City, it aims
to solve both youth employment challenges and city hiring challenges. Increased
program exposure and a partnership with the Hopkins High School career center will
make it possible to recruit interns who already have an interest in local government
broadly or a specific department.
Partnerships
The City of Hopkins has been working with Golden Valley, Minnetonka, and the Hopkins
School District to consider the expansion of this program between the municipalities.
Greater employer participation in this program would create more opportunities for
youth and staff in the program. Even with external partnerships, Hopkins support would
continue to oversee and chiefly administer the program.
Funding Needs
This summer, the cost per intern salary was $2,160, which excludes other program
costs. A tenant of this program is that interns are paid a competitive wage; this summer,
the rate was $15/hour. Additionally, a seasonal employee or college level intern is
needed to manage program operations throughout the spring and summer. To continue,
this program should be funded through grants; funding for youth programs exists
through DEED and Hennepin County.
FUTURE ACTION
Next steps for the program include working with Brooklynk on further program
development for next year (these funds were already allocated by the City Council
through ARPA). Staff is also requesting additional funds to hire an intern or part-time
position to support the program in 2023 as an ARPA request.
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Introduction
Introduction
Hopkins Youth Internship Program Report
Contents:
1.Introduction
2.Program Need
3.Existing Resources
4.Community Feedback and Focus Groups
5.Internal Hiring Challenges
6.Program Models
7.Program Administration and Changes
8.Grants and Funding
9.Administration
10. Recommendations
During the summer of 2022, Hopkins launched a pilot version of a youth workforce
development program. This program, intended to minimize youth’s barriers to employment and
combat City and community hiring difficulties, offered an 8-week paid summer internship to
youth ages 16-24 with barriers to employment. This program is in response to needs expressed
by the Hopkins Race and Equity Initiative (HREI) and the funding received by the City Council’s
ARPA fund allocation. A grant was received by Hennepin County to pay for a limited pilot
version of this program this past summer.
The following report aims to inform the City Council on the need for programs like the one
piloted this summer, in addition to detailing the findings, reflections, and recommendations for
future years so that the City council can make informed decisions regarding future funding.
The program has the following goals:
-Connect youth with barriers to employment to career pathways and a professional
network
-Address internal and external hiring challenges
-Diversify the City’s workforce
-Engage with youth in the community
In addition to providing workforce readiness experience, the program also aimed to connect
students who have obstacles to attaining a job with a network of professional connections and
mentors. Through positive and constructive coaching from supervisors, interactions with
coworkers, and formal mentor relationships, students are exposed to different career paths and
make connections in those fields.
Over the past several years, the City has increasingly made equity a priority, which contributed
to the investment in this program. Stemming from an idea within HREI, the City supported the
workforce program financially through the provision of items like uniforms and bus passes to
ensure all eligible students can participate. As will be discussed in this report, youth of color
disproportionately face barriers to employment contributing to disparate outcomes compared to
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white peers. Research shows that early work experience directly contributes to success in future
careers; therefore, youth work programs can help reduce these barriers.
If extended beyond the pilot year, there are many potential avenues for expansion, such as the
formation of an alumni network made up of former interns where resources like jobs within and
external to the City can be shared, as well create a network among past program participants.
This can also create a pathway to hiring youth into open jobs in the City to help solve internal
hiring and diversity issues. Additionally, future years of the program could bring in additional
government and private employers.
Similar workforce development programs in other cities have had proven success with
continued growth; Step Up in Minneapolis and BrookLynk in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn
Park are used as models.
Program Need
The City of Hopkins, compared to
the state and Hennepin County, has
a higher level of poverty and lower
incomes.A.1 Hopkins differs from its
suburban neighbors, with a high
level of residents who rent and a
racially and economically diverse
community. Within the Hopkins
School District, 36% of students
qualify for free or reduced lunch,
and 11.2% of school district parents
are unemployed.1
Hennepin County has identified
Hopkins as a focus area for youth
opportunity; this measure combines
statistics on youth unemployment,
poverty levels, and youth population
density by census tract.A.2 A higher
need for youth opportunity means
that there is a need for programs that
will not only engage youth but give
them skills to positively shape their
future outcomes.
Programs like these are not only needed in Hennepin County, but across the United States.
Employment rates for youth of color drag behind those of their white peers. In 2016, white men
ages 16-19 saw an employment rate of 28%, while Black men of the same age had a 16% rate.2
This research suggests paid employment, job skills training, and connections with employers are
potential solutions to this problem. Hopkins’ youth workforce development program was
designed with a foundation of research promoted by Minnesota Department of Employment and
1 https://www.hopkinsmn.com/DocumentCenter/View/2001/Appendix-A1-Community-Profile-PD
2 https://www.clasp.org/sites/default/files/publications/2017/08/BMOC_Employment.pdf
Figure 1: The Hennepin County focus area for youth
opportunities map highlights Hopkins as having a need for
youth programming.
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Economic Development (DEED). This research found that “the number one predictor of future
successes in the workforce is early exposure to work experience.”3 The same research found that
early work experience is proven to lead to higher wages and better academic performance. The
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth supports these findings, emphasizing that work during
teenage years leads to positive future wage and benefit outcomes.4
The Opportunity Atlas, a collaboration between researchers at the Census Bureau, Harvard
University, and Brown University is a web-based platform which shows a longitudinal measure
of economic opportunity and mobility based on annual income.5 These maps display the
unequal outcomes for low income and Black low-income youth in Hopkins, as both groups have
lower incomes than other West Metro suburbs. Because early work experience is a predictor of
higher future wages, this program hopes to increase the social mobility of youth in Hopkins and
reduce income disparities for low-income youth, and specifically Black low-income youth.
Figure 2: This map displays the average household income at age 35 for children of low income parents
compared to all other children nationally. The average future income for these children in Hopkins is
$35,000.
3 https://mn.gov/deed/assets/2019-myp-annual-report-acc_tcm1045-421827.pdf
4 https://www.jstor.org/stable/26632343
5 https://www.opportunityatlas.org/
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Figure 3: This map displays the average household income at age 35 for Black children of low-income
parents compared to all other children nationally. The average future income for these children in
Hopkins is $26,000.
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, economic and employments patterns saw large
changes with remaining impacts. Minnesota as a whole saw dramatic effects on employment
rates due to COVID-19 with a 13.1% job loss rate in the first month of 2020.6 We are still in the
middle of this pandemic, and not all of the impacts of it can be measured— many will take years
to understand. In our community, youth are facing a wide variety of challenges that were only
amplified by the pandemic. However, this presents an increasingly valuable opportunity to
foster job skills early, helping more youth secure jobs now and in the future despite changing
economic trends.
Students in the Hopkins School District have shown a desire for summer employment
opportunities; the City received over 70 applications for five positions in just two weeks during
the pilot program year. Conversations with Hopkins School District staff have also continually
highlighted that students are eager to develop job skills. With similar programs like BrookLynk
and StepUp serving hundreds of students in Hennepin County, there is a wider need and desire
for these programs which is reflected in Hopkins. As the program expands, the gap between the
number of students who need this program and those who are able to comp lete it will hopefully
close.
6 https://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/publications/trends/june-2020/state-of-the-state-covid-19.jsp
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Community Feedback
Over the fall, City staff developed a survey for Hopkins youth, including those who may live
outside of Hopkins but attend the Hopkins School District, to reflect on their needs for a
summer employment program. While the program structure would remain, youth input could
change elements such as the weekly schedule, professional development topics and other items.
The survey was released for three weeks in September and participants were offered an
opportunity for a $25 gift card through a drawing incentive. Approximately 50 students took the
survey, with about 50 percent of respondent saying they would like to go to college or university
following high school, and other 50% saying they were interested in a vocational program or
entering the workforce. Nearly all respondents said they were looking for a Monday through
Friday work program in the summer and identified that they had trouble finding summer
employment. When asked what they felt was the reason they could not find a job during the
summer, the most respondents said they were either unsure where to look for a position, or that
they applied to jobs without getting called back. Survey respondents expressed interested in a
variety of positions, but many said administrative work, manufacturing and public safety were of
interest.
Staff will likely hold 1-2 focus groups over the winter with respondents who said they would
participate in a focus group, to hear more about youth workforce needs. This could be done in
collaboration with the GEN network students.
Existing Resources
Currently, no similar youth workforce development or training program is offered in Hopkins.
While there are other recreational and professional opportunities, none are specifically aimed at
youth facing barriers to employment. Community Education classes through the Hopkins
School District offer youth under age 18 recreational classes, and adult classes feature a wide
variety of topics. Through an external provider, the school district also offers academic and
professional courses for a fee. Currently, career resources that are offered through the school
district, such as the Professionals Providing Experience for Life (ProPEL) program at Hopkins
High School, are targeted at high-achieving students. Not only does this youth workforce
development program fill a gap in professional skills programming for youth aged 16-24, but it
provides a resource that is directly intended for traditionally underserved youth.
Local non-profits such as ResourceWest, ICA, and MoveFwd provides resources for youth,
however, none of them currently offer employment services for youth ages 16-24 directly. ICA
does offer employment assistance in the form of coaching on topics like job search, resumes, and
interviews. ResourceWest also offers employment assistance, but it is geared towards adults
searching for jobs. These programs do not provide paid, hands-on experience and career
preparation similar to the workforce development program model.
Internal Hiring Challenges
One goal of a workforce program would be to help address internal hiring challenges. While
certain positions in the City have been increasingly difficult to hire for, such as Police and Fire,
diversity amongst employees is also a core challenge. Organization-wide, the City has a lack of
diversity among employees. Over 87% of employees identify their race as white, while around
40% of Hopkins residents are non-white. Illustrating, City staff is not representative of the
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community it serves; an issue discussed by department staff to get an idea of the efforts to
recruit and hire diverse candidates.
Below is a table which shows demographic breakdowns by major service area from August 2022:
Table 1: Employee Demographics by Service Area
Service Area
# of
Employees White Non-White
Admin & Finance
19 74% 26%
Community Development
7 86% 14%
Inspections
4 50% 50%
Fire
41 88% 12%
Police
38 95% 5%
Public Works
47 96% 4%
Recreation
44 86% 14%
Citywide Total
177 87% 12%
Department heads within the City were consulted to see how this program could solve issues in
their departments. Department heads were asked about current hiring and retention issues and
the requirements for employees in their departments. Naturally, some departments are more or
less compatible with interns eventually filtering into them based on size, requirements, and
hiring frequency. One recommendation may be to focus in on the larger departments, which
have more turnover and positions, and according to the data in Table 1, are less diverse.
Fire:
The Fire Department faces multiple problems in terms of recruiting staff, especially staff of
color. Potential applicants may face many barriers to the career; they may be limited by time,
location, or connections and in many circumstances a multitude of these challenges overlapping.
One major challenge unique to the Fire Department is hiring for paid on-call staff (the majority
of the department). These positions are unique in their abnormal shift hours. For prospective
candidates, not knowing when they might be scheduled to work, along with having unusual
hours deters many people from the job. There are consistently fewer applicants for part-time
positions now than in the past because people are not interested in the kind of work and the
unpredictable schedule. The application and hiring process involves a written exam, physical
exam, interviews, and a psychological evaluation. Hiring diverse candidates has been a challenge
both because of the lack of applicants and generally not all applicants have made it through the
application process due to the requirements.
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Another barrier for recruitment, and especially recruitment of diverse candidates, is that staff
must live within 12 minutes of the fire station to ensure quick response times. The limits this
puts on potential staff members is even more extreme given the rising cost of housing within the
community, especially for those purchasing a first home. Candidates not willing to or not having
the means to move within this 12-minute radius limits the hiring capabilities of the Fire
Department.
A large obstacle in having a racially diverse staff is that this is a field that is often driven by
generational interest; many people who want to be a firefighter want to because they know
someone who is. If people are not seeing role models who work in fire, they are less likely to
want to follow that career path. Additionally, candidates with relationships with firefighters,
have an inherent support system and are more likely to understand the role and to successfully
complete the application and training. Additional mentorship, throughout this process would
reduce this barrier. The intensity of this kind of work and the requirements for it may become
hard to navigate without support from those in a similar role.
Training is also intensive, and the Fire Department has moved away from training staff
themselves. It takes approximately a year and a half to fully train firefighters; to have this
financially pay off for the department, they need to work for the department for five years. Staff
are now turning over quicker than this, which makes it difficult to do all new employee training
within the department. Now, the Fire Department looks to hire people who have training from
external sources like technical schools, private organizations, or those who are transferring from
different departments. If they are trained, once they are hired, they then go through a three- or
four-week boot camp.
While turnover is high, another challenge for recruitment in the department is that while pay is
relatively low, the largest benefit to part-time work is the retirement plan. Therefore, a long-
term commitment to the job is required to get the payoff that some other jobs may have upfront.
This level of commitment and requirement to live within the 12-minute radius throughout their
career may be hard for many applicants, especially those who do not own a home. Working for a
low hourly rate in anticipation for retirement may not be feasible for many and narrows the pool
of potential applicants inequitably.
The hiring challenges within the Fire Department align with the future goals of this program as
they are looking for qualified candidates who have experienced some training that would make
transitioning to a role on the department easier. Programs like the youth workforce
development program provide important face time and mentoring to create connections to the
department, as well as training within the department which sets candidates up for future
success. A diverse pool of young people who are knowledgeable and interested in working in a
Fire Department would be a great asset to the Hopkins Fire Department.
Police:
The main challenge the Police Department is facing regarding hiring is a decreased pool of
applicants due to recent general policing reputation challenges. This problem is even more
prevalent in communities of color. This is another field that often relies on candidates who have
generational interest in the career. Many police officers have relatives or mentors in the field,
meaning those who do not have established connections in the field are less likely to choose the
career or have the supports to successfully complete training.
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As hiring has been an increasing challenge, requirements have been reanalyzed and eliminated
where they are creating barriers. The hiring process now involves less testing, but still involves
interviews with employees and community members. Applicants are required to hold an
associate degree or two-year technical certificate, have a valid driver’s license, be physically
capable, pass a background check, and pass a psychological evaluation.
Since seniority plays a big part in the scheduling in the department, it is assumed that mid-
career turnover is rare, so employees do not lose their seniority associated privileges (shift bid,
vacation scheduling, etc.). However, since hiring challenges are not isolated to the City of
Hopkins, other department in the metro area are offering large incentives for employees to
transfer. This combined with other motivations such as unique assignments like K-9 units,
special investigations, etc. have resulted in high levels of turnover. Recently, even employees
who have been with the department for a significant tenure are leaving. High turnover is not
only an issue which creates staffing challenges, but also because of the resources required to on-
board new employees; it costs around $80,000 to train a new officer and takes over a year.
The Police Department already has an established cadet program for those who are in training
to be a police officer. Historically, the cadet program has employed someone who is interested in
becoming an officer— this is a non-sworn, part-time position. Successful completion of
education and training and performance in this role can lead to a full-time position in the
department. Compared to other departments, such as the fire department, police office positions
are full-time with substantial benefits for those who stay in the position as a long-term career.
Similar to the Fire Department, a youth workforce development program creates positive
connections to the police department. Many officers come to police work through familial
connections so creating opportunities for youth to meet and be mentored by member s of the
department can create these connections where they may not have existed. Especially for youth
of color or youth who have had existing negative interactions with police departments, these
positive interactions can be incredibly beneficial. Future careers in policing are possible, and the
Department has full-time positions with appealing benefits.
Public Works:
Public Works has many seasonal workers; many of these employees work to supplement other
jobs and work for varying amount of times from two months to nine months which makes it an
ideal department for positions for the youth workforce development program. Typically, these
employees are required to be 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Seasonal workers
work in the parks or streets divisions, which vary in tasks and technicality. Additionally, workers
in water and sewers divisions require more training and need to be licensed once they begin
working.
Hiring in Public Works has been a challenge due to an overall lower number of applications in
recent years. Once again, this is a job that many people don’t know exist unless they know
someone who works in it. Public Works also has a strong culture among employees, and most of
the employees are men. There is little diversity of any kind within the department, which should
be a consideration in all recruitment and hiring practices, not just that of interns. However,
placing interns in Public Works can be mutually beneficial; providing exposure to youth on the
work of the department may help them discover a potential career, while the department would
benefit from additional passionate employees.
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The Public Works department has a trainee program that has only been used once, but is a great
option to be expanded in coordination with the youth internship program. This position is
meant to take someone who has interest in working in Public Works and have them work up
into a full-time permanent staff member. When this position was used in the past, it was filled
by a previous seasonal worker. However, in the future, this should be posted as a separate job
posting externally (since many seasonal workers have other jobs, they are not looking to become
full time employees).
Administration, Finance, Community Development and Recreation:
The Administration, Finance, Planning departments hire less frequently and require more
education and experience. However, there are also hiring challenges, specifically regarding
diversity, within these departments. These smaller departments do not need as much of a
constant flow of new employees and often require more experience than an entry-level position
but can still accommodate interns in this program. The option to place interns in Finance,
Planning, and Administration intern roles increases the breadth of options for prospective
interns, thus attracting more applicants to the program. For example, a Hopkins High School
student who has an interest in finance or IT can gain experience through an internship and may
find a new interest in a career in local government. Increasing the number of departments
interns are placed in also benefits other interns, as the cohort model benefits from youth having
differing work duties and interests. Although an intern may not be working in a certain
department, they may hear about it from a peer and become interested in the role for the future.
Regarding Recreation, the City is limited regarding recruitment for recreation since joint
recreation employees are considered employees of Minnetonka and not included in the data.
The data does include the Activity Center, Art Center, Depot, and Pavilion. Filtering former
interns into positions in the recreation departments may be more targetable considering they
have the required education for many building supervisor positions. The Depot also has a
unique relationship with the school district and the Depot Youth Board that is advantageous for
recruitment of youth.
Inspections:
While Inspections is also a smaller department that hires more infrequently, there can be a more
direct pathway. Certification for building inspections is available at North Hennepin Community
College, and can be completed in two semesters, one night a week. Currently, the Minnesota
Department of Labor and Industry already funds a grant program for building official training.
However, this program operates on limited funds.
Generally, across the metro there is a large shortage of qualified building inspectors, which
makes hiring difficult. A major issue with hiring building inspectors is that many come from
construction backgrounds, and construction salaries are higher than those for building
inspectors or officials. This is also a position that varies in volume based on season; the summer
is busy, so it is hard to hire someone during that time. Additionally, this is another job that
many people do not know exists, so they do not consider it as an option when they are going
through school. Youth exposure to the career would be mutually beneficial to youth and the
department. Offering internships in the inspections department provides youth another choice
of role, meaning more students may be interested in the internship program overall. Local
certification programs like North Hennepin make filtering interns into full time positions
feasible.
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An opportunity with this position is to work with the school district and interested high school
students at working towards their licensing while in school. This would be a future pipeline
project for the City and School to collaborate with career services.
External Hiring Challenges
The 2022 Summer pilot program only focused on internal positions; however, staff has received
feedback from business partners that there is an interest in private businesses hosting interns.
Many of the City’s businesses and small businesses have similar hiring challenges as the City.
This may be an excellent hiring/recruitment model and serve as an additional business support
the City provides to the community.
Findings and Recommendations:
Once this program is more established, it can add another overall goal of preparing and training
youth for careers within the City of Hopkins or public service generally. This would differ from
this year’s program because it would target youth who are expressly interested in certain
departments and want the opportunity for a full-time career within the City. Based on
department feedback, we have identified Fire, Police, and Public Works to be the most suited for
a pipeline program.
The first recommendation is to work with the school district and bring in employees from the
City to talk about their jobs and the path they took to get there. Promoting and making youth
aware of the jobs, especially within their own community, is essential to having students that
want to go through this pipeline. This will also attempt to make careers with lots of familial
connections more equitable, by giving students role models of professionals in those areas if
they do not already have them. Once the high school has established their career center, this
should be easier to make this connection.
If students discover a career they want while they are with the City, it should be a goal of the
program to guide students down the easiest path to complete education and certification for the
job.
Hopkins High School offers PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) at Hennepin Technical
College, Minneapolis College, North Hennepin Community College, Normandale, and the
University of Minnesota. Students can enroll either part-time or full-time at these schools for no
cost to them and can even get reimbursed by the school district for their travel costs if they meet
the criteria.
Hennepin Technical College at its Eden Prairie campus offers certificates in law enforcement
and public works and an associate degree in fire protection; North Hennepin offers pathways in
law enforcement and building inspection. These opportunities should be highlighted to students
who are in the internship program and an information session could be one of the professional
development sessions. Any students who already participate in these programs through PSEO
should be targeted for this program, if any there are any.
Program Models
Similar programs in other cities have had proven success with continued growth; BrookLynk in
Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park and Step Up in Minneapolis are used as models.
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BrookLynk:
BrookLynk is a program operated by the cities of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center that
matches youth who live or attend school in Brooklyn Park or Brooklyn Center with summer
internships. These internships are both internal, in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center
governments, but also external, in more than 20 different businesses and organizations. To
qualify for an internship, youth must be ages 16-24, face one or more barriers to employment,
and complete a job readiness training called GetReady!. GetReady! is available to youth 14-24,
and annually has around 300 participants. Youth apply through BrookLynk, but are
interviewed, hired, and paid through their employer. There is an average of 100 BrookLynk
summer interns each summer; more than $750,000 has been earned by interns since 2015.7 A
strong part of BrookLynk’s format is their alumni network; alumni are interns who have
completed at least one summer of a BrookLynk internship. After this is completed, they are
afforded access to professional training sessions, networking events, and a job board exclusively
for alumni. Since the program’s start in 2015, 50 alumni have been hired by BrookLynk
employer partners through the job board. This pipeline helps companies recruit talent that they
know have training and experience and help youth secure jobs within successful organizations.
Step Up:
Step Up is administered through Achieve Twin Cities, and places around 700 Minneapolis
School District youth ages 14-24 with barriers to employment in internships annually. Working
with more than 200 external companies and organizations, Step Up has two different levels of
the program based on age. Interns ages 14 to 15 are placed in public agencies or community
organizations, and their wages are paid for by the City of Minneapolis. Interns ages 16 to 21 are
placed in public agencies or private businesses, and their wages are paid by the employer.
Additionally, Step Up offers a paid online career exploration program that had over 600
participants in 2021. Including this program and the internship program, more than $2 million
was earned by youth in 2021.8
Program Partnerships
With prospects to broaden this program through a partnership with the cities of Minnetonka,
Golden Valley, and the Hopkins School District, it is likely that this program could continue to
grow by number of interns, as well as placement opportunities. Minnetonka and Golden Valley
have expressed a need for the program as a way to diversify their workforces and increase
opportunities for youth.
Partnerships not only expand the number of opportunities afforded to youth in the
communities, but also continue to advance the mission of further diversifying the cities’
workforces. When there are more students placed in internships among these cities, and
eventually in local businesses, new perspectives are brought in from youth who will make up the
next generation of employees. A wider net of supporters also opens more doors for students who
know what they are interested in or are ready to discover it. If students have more options of
internships to choose from, interns will be able to find things they are interested in, and
therefore will be more successful and more helpful to their department.
7 https://www.brooklynk.works/employers
8 https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/step-up/history-leadership/
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Even when the program broadens, students should continue to connect with each other and
work in a cohort. Students will all complete the same training before their internship starts, and
will have professional development sessions and collaborative activ ities as a group. No matter
what an intern is working on throughout their internship, they will still come away with
essential, hirable skills and connections with other interns.
BrookLynk, mentioned previously, has served as a partner in developing Hopkins’ program. A
next step for the workforce program is to use the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds
allocated by the Hopkins’ City Council staff will work with BrookLynk to purchase curriculum,
technical and legal documents, and technical assistance from BrookLynk staff as the program
expands.
Program Administration and Changes
During the pilot year, five high school interns were placed in five different divisions of the City.
Interns worked in the Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, the Hopkins Center
for the Arts, and The Depot Coffeehouse. Interns supported the work of their supervisors and
worked on projects of their own in areas including community outreach, event planning,
advertising, and other operational tasks. Internships operated in a cohort model, meaning that
interns learned from supervisors and coworkers as well as from interns working in different
divisions.
Applications & hiring:
Internship applications were released in early summer, and Hopkins received nearly 70
applicants over a short application period. Students were encouraged to apply by school
counselors, parents, and other community and Hopkins School District members. To be eligible
to apply, students had to meet one or more criteria that is considered a barrier to
employment.A.3 These included factors like qualifying for free or reduced lunch, are or parents
are immigrants to the US, or are a part of a historically marginalized group. Students were
interviewed in-person in the second week of June, but in future years, applications and
interviews would ideally be earlier.
This year, students ages 14-24 were invited to apply, and hired youth were aged 14-18. Staff and
supervisors determined that in the future, students should be at least 16 to apply. Going
forward, youth 16-24 will be eligible, and it is predicted that most of the youth who will apply
will be high school-aged or just graduated. However, for Public Works, it is beneficial to hire
students who are at least 18 and have a valid driver’s license to be able to complete essential
tasks in the department. In the future, for students who apply but are not hired, Kerri Fischer,
the Employment Consultant at ICA, has offered to be a resource for students who are still
looking for work.
Throughout the school year, information about the program should be given to schools so that
school staff or city staff can present to students about the opportunity. This program should be
especially aimed at students who have a interest in a career in one of the City’s departments.
Recruitment could also be done with students at the technical colleges.
Internship training:
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Compared to similar programs in other cities, one of the biggest differences in this pilot program
was the absence of training or programming to prepare students for their internship, or even
what to expect on their first day. Feedback from interns emphasized this, saying they wanted
more information before they started their internship. With plans to acquire this program in the
form of training curriculum from BrookLynk, students will be more successful overall if they
have a baseline of professional skills going into their first day of work.
Additionally, a curriculum like this, even if it is short, will affirm who can commit to this
program, preventing students from not attending required days of work. There should be some
kind of “buy in” to ensure that students are committed to the program before their time in the
office begins.
Supervisor training:
Supervisors were checked in with regularly and a formal check in happened halfway through the
program. Other than this, there was no other responsibility to report to program staff on what
their intern was working on, their performance, etc.
One of the concerns from supervisors during the length of the program was that their
department did not have enough work for their intern to do. To aid this, supervisors should
submit an overview of tasks and schedule for the intern. Even if it is broad, this helps employees
in the department who may be working with the intern to prepare and to ensure that students
will have sufficient works. Additionally, there could be a requirement for supervisors and interns
to sit down at the beginning of their internship to determine their career goals and what they
want to learn from the internship.
As the program grows, supervisors who repeatedly host interns will learn what to expect and
how to create a schedule for their intern and what types of projects are good for this level of a
position.
Professional development:
Six, one-hour long professional development sessions were held throughout the program length.
Presenters talked to students about various topics at an elementary level, presenting with
understanding that these are first-time employees. Topics included professionalism, conflict
resolution, time management, entrepreneurship, finance, and a resume and interview
workshop. It was also important that presenters were also people of color as a way to showcase
the many professions and successes of people who may have had similar backgrounds to the
interns.
Professional development sessions are a key component of this program, complimenting and
emphasizing the skills that are learned in their placement. Since this is a first job for many
students, the importance of teaching seemingly simple skills should not be understated.
Presenters in these sessions also act as models of successful professionals, and offer to be
resources for students in the future. As the program is run in a cohort model, these sessions are
held in-person and with the whole group of interns as this adds to the success of these lessons,
and interns can learn with and from each other weekly.
Intern schedule:
When students applied and interviewed, the position was intended to be 9 a.m.-4 p.m., three
days a week for a total of 18 hours a week. Students and supervisors were given the option to
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change their schedule if it was mutually agreed upon. Most interns did end up changing their
schedule to accommodate department events, special projects, or based on their p referred
hours.
Interns working 18 hours a week provides flexibility for them to participate in other activities,
but also doesn’t overwhelm youth who may be experiencing their first job or become a large
burden on staff. These hours also make it a possibility to pay youth a fair wage while staying in
the confines of the program cost.
Paying the interns a fair wage should remain a priority throughout this program in order to
strive for equity. This internship is not only a springboard for future careers, but also offers
students a competitive wage at a time when many are looking for work in the summer.
Mentors:
To ensure that interns are forming connections in the City and have a resource outside of their
own department, interns were paired with mentors who are City staff. Mentors and interns were
expected to meet two or three times throughout the summer, though this did not actualize in the
first year. These interactions are intended to give interns more opportunities to practice their
professional skills, learn more about careers in the City, develop additional mentors and feel
more connected to Hopkins.
In future years, the initial contact between mentors and interns should be facilitated by the
program. Pairs could meet after the first professional development session or another time when
all interns are together.
Transportation:
During interviews, interns were given the option of securing their own transportation or
receiving a free bus pass from the City (cost of $100/ month per bus pass). Hopkins is c onnected
to neighboring cities by bike paths and bus routes. During the pilot program, only one intern
drove themselves to work— others got rides from parents or took the bus.
Transportation options did not appear to limit students in accepting internship offers, but could
have factored into reasons why students did not apply, show up for their interview, or show up
once they were hired. As long as it is a requirement to plan their own transportation, that should
be heavily emphasized in the application and hiring process. Students should make clear to their
supervisor how they are getting to work to plan for any instances of arriving late or leaving early.
Paychecks:
Interns were paid on the same pay schedule as all other City employees. To pay interns, they had
to provide a bank account (their own or one of a trusted adult) and their social security number.
Even when offered the option of paper checks, some students did not have a way to deposit them
due to other challenges. Hiring interns over the age of 16 may remove some of these barriers,
like students not having a bank account or proper identification, but likely not all. Programs like
BrookLynk, have a banking partner which comes to speak to the interns about finances and
banking solutions. Having a similar partner who could work with students to ensure they have
bank accounts could be helpful in future years.
Legally, within three days of the first day of work, interns must complete an I-9 however getting
information for this was challenging. In the future, providing this paperwork at the orientation
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day may help reduce barriers to completing this and interns should not be allowed to work
without filling out this paperwork to encourage compliance.
Career exploration vs. career readiness:
The pilot program focused primarily on career readiness rather than career exploration,
meaning that it prepares interns for jobs in general, not necessarily a specific job. While there is
inherently career exploration aspects imbedded in any job, there we re no explicit requirements
for supervisors to expose interns to different jobs.
These internships focus on giving students soft skills like communication, knowledge of office
norms, responsibility, and timeliness. This internship does not revolve around helping students
find a potential career path, although that can be a positive outcome. Students will discover
types of tasks they like doing more or less, which will help lead them to discover what kind of job
they want to do in the future. However, this program does not allow students to work a day in
each different department to discover their future career, for example.
In the future, partnerships between local schools (community colleges, trade programs,
technical schools, colleges) could be developed to help funnel interns into jobs they discovered
they really liked. If students develop a strong passion for the department they are working in,
supervisors or program staff should help connect students with resources within the City, if
available.
Grants and Funding
During the pilot year, this program was funded through a combination of Council designated
ARPA funds and a grant through Hennepin County. Through the Youth Entrepreneurship Pilot
Program grant, the City of Hopkins was awarded $15,500 to be put towards youth wages for the
program. This grant matched well with the program because of the focus on serving youth who
have barriers to employment with pre-professional programming in Hennepin County.
Hopkins has set aside a total of $17,000 of ARPA funding for this program, which needs to be
spent by December 31, 2024. In addition to this funding, Hopkins should continue to pursue
grant opportunities. Possibilities include Youth at Work Competitive Grants through DEED, a
grant that funds programs which provide year-round or summer work and job skills training for
at-risk youth. Additionally, the Youth Entrepreneurship Pilot Program through Hennepin
County is expected to continue to have available funds into the near future.
To pay five students $15 an hour for the summer, Hopkins spent $11,894. This number was
lower than anticipated due to students not working all of the hours expected. Other program
costs such as bus passes, food for welcoming and final celebrations totaled around $400. For the
current schedule (8 weeks, 3 days a week, 6 hours a day at $15 per hour), the cost per intern for
salary alone is $2,160.
This program requires a heavy administrative lift; there must be someone to coordinate with
external partners, recruit and hire students, plan programming, communicate with supervisors,
plan professional development, etc. In its current iteration, one staff member is needed to
coordinate the day-to-day operation of the program. This could be a college level intern or
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seasonal employee, working 30 hours from early spring through the end of the summer. Future
expansion of the program could benefit from a full-time year-round staff who can apply for
grants, continue partnerships and foster connections in the community, and do year-round
recruitment for summer programming. Similar programs like BrookLynk, have three full-time
staff in additional to summer seasonal staff. They receive support from both communities and
grants to fund these positions.
Recommendations
1. Continue the program, tailoring it more to the needs of Hopkins students and hiring
challenges.
2. Address City-wide hiring challenges by partnering with local businesses and providing
support for employers to host interns.
3. Strengthen partnerships and broaden this work to extend the impact on youth.
4. Establish and strengthen existing career pipelines for students interested in jobs within
the City.
5. Monitor recruitment efforts and track data to analyze program growth and performance
as well as intern outcomes.
After running the pilot program, it is suggested that it continues and expands, continuing to
serve the diverse needs of Hopkins youth. Even without long-term evidence that this program
improves employment outcomes, the immediate impact of the program for students is visible.
For students, this is a summer job that teaches them lessons they can apply to their education or
other jobs while also meeting peers and mentors they formed strong connections with. For City
of Hopkins employees, it is a valuable experience mentoring and supervising the next generation
of staff. For many employees, they may not interact frequently with the public, or with diverse
populations due to their position. This experience results in an important cultural exchange for
both the employee and the student.
One recommendation for this program is to consider feedback from Hopkins students and what
they want to get out this program. While the program is modeled after goals similar to
comparable programs and the perceived needs of Hopkins students, it is best to hear directly
from youth what they need. One way we have identified to do this is to send a survey to students
at Hopkins High School asking about post-secondary plans, challenges in finding a job,
professional interests, and scheduling preferences. Surveys at the beginning of end of the
summer should also be sent to interns who participate in the program; feedback from mid-
summer site visits will also help shape the program based on youth input. This input should be
intentionally considered in the growth and development of the content and structure of this
program. Student input should be especially considered regarding professional development
sessions, schedule format, and desired department assignments. To try and ensure the best
outcomes for students, supervisors, and the workforce needs, students should be placed in an
area they have an interest in, if applicable. Supervisors from the pilot program as well as
supervisors who have hosted BrookLynk interns cited their students having a lack of
professional interest in the field as one of the biggest challenges. If students are considering a
career in the field, they will be more committed and interested in the work. Additionally, a
partnership with the school district, especially as the high school develops their career center,
should help funnel student input into this program. Observed needs from both Hopkins High
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School and Ubah Medical Academy should be taken into consideration through connections
with staff and informal feedback channels.
Starting with a pilot version in 2023, the City of Hopkins should partner with local businesses to
employ youth interns through this program. Again, using BrookLynk and StepUp as models,
placing interns in external partners can help local businesses with employment struggles, while
youth are afforded more opportunities for work positions. Professional development would still
continue for students working outside of the City, and the goals of the program would remain,
with the added goal of collaborating with businesses to help meet their employment needs.
With this, another recommendation for the future of this program is to strengthen community
and program partnerships both to employ more youth and to increase the quality of
programming. Existing partnerships with BrookLynk, Hopkins School District, Minnetonka,
and Golden Valley should be emphasized as this program continues to be developed. As
emphasized previously, partnerships expand the reach of the program as well as opportunities
that are afforded to employers and interns.
Another component of this program that should be added is having an alumni network, similar
to the platform and resources that BrookLynk provides. This can be as simple as a Facebook
group or GroupMe and could include a job board and list of resources exclusively for alumni.
Keeping alumni in touch with both other interns and the City has benefits for all parties. For
former interns, they are able to network with each other and meet more peers who were not in
their intern year. The City (and other future employer partners) can then post job openings to
alumni and hire students who already have experience working in local government. Keeping
youth engaged with the program further than their internship opens up opportunities for youth
and employers, and this should be capitalized on.
Eventually, a goal of this program should be to filter former interns into positions within the
City. If students work in a department, they have a vested interest in, or discover they like
working within local government in general, this program could help them secure a full-time
position. Furthermore, departments should be supported in providing alumni with resources to
attain the necessary training or certification to return to department. Examples like the Police
Department Cadet program and Public Works Trainee program can serve as models. By filtering
past interns who already have experience working in Hopkins into careers with the City, it aims
to solve both youth employment challenges and city hiring challenges.
Throughout the program, the City should retain records of recruitment and hiring efforts (ex.
number of applications, interns and their departments or placements). This data is helpful to
analyze the growth of the program and better understand the demographic. Additionally, follow-
up surveys sent to interns a certain period after their internship can help determine if interns
have perused a career in public service or related to their role in the program.
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Appendix
A.1
A.2
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A.3